Time For Trudeau Government To Revise Anti-Terrorism Law

During last year’s Federal election, Justin Trudeau promised to revise some of the more contentious aspects of Bill C-51, Canada’s Anti-Terrorism Law.

We understand that the Trudeau government has a lot of ground to cover in this mandate, but it’s been eight months since they assumed power and it’s time to make good on that promise.

Bill C-51 was constructed under the influence of the Harper government’s fear mongering that there was a potential terrorist behind every tree and that law enforcement agencies needed sweeping powers to keep us safe.

We know the terrorism threat is real; sadly, there are weekly stories of global terrorist acts and of course, we must give law enforcement agencies the proper tools to do their job.

At the same time however, there must be checks and balances to ensure that there is no abuse of the immense power given to those in authority.

Critics of Bill C-51 suggest that it’s far too vague about what constitutes a threat.

In fact, even speaking out against a government’s foreign policy could be construed as a threat .

Clearly, there needs to be a balance between public safety and civil liberties for Canadian citizens.